Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Greed (1)
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The day to leave Saint-Dermain had arrived.
But before that, there was one more place to stop by.
"Have you packed your things?"
"What things? I'm just stuffing everything into subspace anyway."
"That's true enough. Then let's get going. To Ars Magna."
Ars Magna.
The magic stone shop run by Kiriel, the greatest alchemist.
As a condition for obtaining the 'Shadow Sheep's Heart' from the Gehenna Auction House, Siegfried had arranged to buy something from Kiriel at a low price.
And Jamie had made a soul contract with Kiriel herself, promising to take her into the shadow world in exchange for obtaining 'All Might'.
"Come to think of it, Young Master."
On the way to Ars Magna, Siegfried asked in a casual tone.
"What the hell was that stone?"
Jamie had hoped it would be forgotten since Siegfried hadn't asked last night, but sure enough, he had just waited for the right moment.
Of course, there was no way a grand mage's memory would miss even something so trivial(?).
"When you deflected Darius's attack, that was the power of the stone, right?"
"I can't fool the elder's eyes, can I?"
"Of course not. I'm a grand mage, after all. So, what exactly is that stone? I held off asking yesterday because I didn't want to ruin the mood."
It seemed like Siegfried's own consideration.
"It's nothing special."
"'Nothing special'? The stone's power was on another level entirely."
It was certainly a stretch to dismiss 'All Might', which granted complete immunity to physical damage, as nothing special.
"That's true. I got lucky."
"What kind of luck lets you snag an item from a secret auction?"
"I made a deal with Kiriel too. Haha."
Siegfried nearly blurted out, "Ah! I see!" at Jamie's nonchalant attitude.
"......I think I need a bit more explanation."
Jamie explained everything from the incident in the back alleys to the soul contract with Kiriel, conveniently skipping his past life.
He would meet Kiriel soon anyway, so there was no point hiding it.
"A soul contract?!"
"Ah. Please don't ask for the details. You know I can't tell you."
A soul contract prevented the parties involved from revealing the contents to anyone else. It was a powerful non-disclosure clause backed by their very souls.
That's why even Siegfried couldn't press further.
"Are you insane?"
"It wasn't a big deal for me, so don't worry."
"......Worry or not, kids really know how to pull off the impossible."
Siegfried shook his head in disbelief.
Jamie could only chuckle inwardly at the reaction.
'Who're you calling a kid, you rookie?'
His body might look like a child's, but the soul inside had transcended tens of thousands of years to descend upon this land once more.
Siegfried's response was nothing short of adorable.
Jamie let Siegfried's words go in one ear and out the other.
"Are you even listening?"
"I'll be more careful next time."
"It's not about being careful—don't do it at all! At least tell me first since I'm your guardian now. Got it?"
"Yes, yes. I will."
"Kids these days......"
Siegfried's nagging continued all the way to Ars Magna.
"That's your problem, Young Master. You overestimate yourself too much. I know you're talented, but even so—for that stone?"
Jamie wanted to plug his ears.
It had been cute at first, but now it felt like his eardrums might burst.
Was Siegfried always like this?
'I thought he'd let it slide......'
Siegfried was tenacious in these matters.
He kept repeating the same points over and over, even when it seemed like he should stop.
An eight-year-old making a soul contract—it was a natural reaction, but Jamie deeply regretted telling the truth.
"Phew. That's enough for today."
"Oh, just today?"
"I'll teach you some common sense until we reach the magic world. Brace yourself."
Jamie had to make a sulky face.
Siegfried was a terribly persistent man. At least to Jamie.
"Let's head inside."
As Siegfried opened the door to Ars Magna, a musty moldy smell assaulted their noses.
Jamie manipulated the air to keep the odor from reaching him.
"Kiriel. I've brought the item."
As if waiting for those words, Kiriel appeared in midair, perched on a large crystal orb.
She glanced back and forth between Siegfried and Jamie.
"Did you both handle your tasks properly?"
"Before that, you went too far, Kiriel."
"Me?"
"The Young Master may not act like a kid, but he's still only eight. You should've refused the soul contract."
"That kid's a kid? Heh heh heh. Siegfried, you rookie. Since when was a mage on the verge of 6th class a kid?"
Siegfried's eyebrow twitched.
"Magic isn't everything."
"That's foolish too. A mage pursues wisdom above all. Since when was magic something solved by talent alone?"
Magic was a product woven from tangled webs of interests and relationships.
It wasn't something you could master just by being smart or having high mana sensitivity.
Only when everything converged could it be called 'magical talent'.
"Yet you're bound by something as trivial as age?"
"That's......"
"Siegfried. Don't you need to reflect on your own childhood?"
Siegfried glared fiercely at Kiriel with his mouth shut. She just smiled and met his gaze.
Then she glanced at Jamie.
"Kid. This guy seems to care about you a lot."
Kiriel had been trading with Siegfried for about five years, but she was inscrutable. She always wore a bright face, hiding her true self.
She had always concealed her emotions and flowed like water. But now, regarding Jamie, she showed a new side.
Did that mean Jamie was important to Siegfried? They'd only met recently, so did this child have something special?
'Well, considering that boldness......'
Two days ago, his confident proposal of a soul contract here was still vivid.
"Anyway, you brought the item, right?"
"......Take this first."
Siegfried pulled out a blank check with a slightly irritated tone.
It was the check Kiriel had given him two days ago to use for the Shadow Sheep's Heart.
"Why is it blank? Couldn't get the item?"
"It ended up coming for free, somehow."
It had only happened yesterday, so even Kiriel didn't know the details.
As she looked puzzled, Siegfried handed over the blank check and the Shadow Sheep's Heart.
"No money spent, item obtained—so you'll just hand over what you owe me, right?"
Siegfried made it clear that asking for more would be robbery.
Kiriel had no intention of demanding money anyway. She had figured at least 50 million, up to 200 million gold.
Of course, if she haggled high on the value of what Siegfried wanted, it wouldn't be impossible.
Acquiring it was like reaching for the stars, after all.
But she decided against it.
She wasn't short on cash, and Siegfried was a good guy.
"Wait here."
Kiriel stepped away briefly.
Left alone, Siegfried sighed deeply and said to Jamie,
"That old lady has a point."
"Right?"
"Doesn't mean you did the right thing."
"......I know."
"Well, lecturing a 6th-class mage like that doesn't make sense anyway."
Setting aside the age, Kiriel was right.
He was a mage. A high-ranking one who could lead a magic corps without issue.
I thought of him too much as a child. I should have treated him as a proper mage.
Siegfried acknowledged his mistake.
"Still, avoid soul contracts if possible. A bad one could've been disastrous."
"I'll be careful."
As Jamie nodded vigorously, Siegfried's expression finally softened.
'Good thing. Kiriel did something right.'
Jamie sighed in relief, thinking he might avoid the nagging until they reached the magic world.
Moments later, Kiriel returned carrying a jewelry box.
Mysterious mana flowed from within.
"What's that?"
"It's finally here."
Siegfried's voice trembled with rare excitement.
"Take it."
As Kiriel offered the jewelry box, Siegfried swallowed hard and accepted it carefully.
He slowly opened it, and a black glow began to emanate.
'Black mana?!'
No.
The color was similar, but the nature was entirely different.
Siegfried carefully lifted the contents from the box.
It was a stone. More precisely, a rough, crude rock encased a sparkling black crystal.
Similar in form to All Might, but this was unprocessed.
Raw ore. He didn't know what kind, but the energy from the black crystal was far from ordinary.
"What is it?"
"You've probably heard of it, Young Master."
Siegfried's voice quivered faintly as he spoke.
"Do you know of the asteroid that crosses the continent every hundred years?"
"Aion. You're talking about Aion, right?"
"Yes. Aion."
An asteroid crossed the continent from southwest to northeast every hundred years.
It was first discovered two hundred years ago, sparking much debate and leading to numerous analytical books.
Records of similar sightings on the same dates stretched back thousands of years.
Initially, it was just that—curious news that faded.
The issue came later.
One hundred and sixty years ago, a meteor from that asteroid was discovered by someone. Meteors weren't rare, but this one held extraordinary power.
"They call it Eternal Mana."
Even with only a fragment of black crystal, it compressed mana at about two thousand times the density of ambient natural mana in the same space.
People dubbed the mana in the black crystal 'Eternal Mana', and the asteroid crossing every century became known as 'Aion (Eternal)'.
"Three years ago, Aion appeared. It vanished quickly, but people scoured everywhere expecting meteor fragments."
Siegfried held up the 'Fragment of Aion' to the light. The black crystal absorbed every ray, remaining pitch black.
"I searched for three years but found nothing. Then Kiriel contacted me."
"So be grateful to me, rookie."
"......I paid the price."
"Do you really think the Shadow Sheep's Heart compares to a Fragment of Aion?"
"......"
Siegfried fell silent.
She was right.
"What are you going to use it for?"
"I have something in mind."
"What?"
"A. Se. Cret."
Siegfried pressed a finger to his lips, signaling Jamie to drop it.
Jamie smacked his lips. He'd have to sneak a peek later if the chance arose.
'He won't use something like that for anything ordinary.'
"You, out."
As Jamie pondered, Kiriel shooed Siegfried away.
"Now it's time for me and this little customer."
"......You won't tell me what the contract is, will you?"
"Spouting nonsense. Get out!"
Siegfried clicked his tongue and left. As he did, he sent Jamie a telepathic message.
-Send a signal if anything happens.
Jamie understood the concern, but nothing like that would occur.
As the door closed, Kiriel swung her staff to lock it securely. Her eyes sharpened.
"Time to uphold your promise."
The Shadow Sheep's Heart floating in the air flew toward Jamie.
Seeing it, Jamie smiled and said,
"Before that."
"You have something to say?"
"Well......"
He pulled out the blank check, and Kiriel's face twisted.
"I got my item for free too. Guess we need to renegotiate this deal?"
Jamie grinned innocently like a child.